What is EMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an innovative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma. EMDR is a set of standardized protocols that incorporates components of the AIP (adaptive information processing) model from its earlier desensitization paradigm predecessor.
How does EMDR work?
EMDR therapy is an integrative approach that uses a technique called bilateral stimulation to repeatedly activate the opposite sides of the brain. Therapists often use eye movements by holding two fingers (the index and middle fingers together) a few feet away from the client’s face, in a windshield wiper motion to facilitate the bilateral stimulation. These eye movements mimic the period of sleep referred to as rapid eye movement or REM sleep, and this portion of sleep is frequently considered to be the time when the brain processes recent events in the person’s life.
EMDR seems to help the brain reprocess trapped memories in such a way that sound information processing can soon be resumed. Therapists often use EMDR to help clients uncover and process beliefs that developed as a result of traumatic stress, relational traumas, or childhood abuse and/or neglect. For a more detailed explanation please visit EMDR Institute, Inc.
What does EMDR help?
EMDR had been originally established as helpful for PTSD, although it’s been proven useful for treatment in the following conditions:
- Panic Attacks
- Complicated Grief
- Dissociative Disorders
- Disturbing Memories
- Phobias
- Pain Disorders
- Performance Anxiety
- Addictions
- Stress Reduction
- Sexual and/or Physical Abuse
- Body Dysmorphic Disorders
- Personality Disorders
None of the above symptoms or experiences fit you?
Do you experience distressing emotions that appear to you, and perhaps to others, to be excessive given the current situation? Do you tend to be highly reactive to certain triggers? Is there one or more dysfunctional belief that you believe about yourself that on a cognitive level you know is not true?
If so, you may still be a good candidate for EMDR therapy.
Contact me today for a brief pre-screening to see if EMDR might help you release what no longer serves you.